Sac filling machine



May 12, 1953 M. KNOBEL 2,638,257

SAC FILLING MACHINE Filed Jan. 16, 1947 5 Sheets-Sheet l May 12, 1953 M.KNOBEL sAc FILLING MACHINE .3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 1Q, 1947 KNXINVENTOR. fw/@0M- wfwZ/z.

3 Sheets-ShamI 5 M KNOBEL SAC FILLING MACHINE May 12, 1953 Flled Jan 16,1947 Patente-d May 12, 1953 sacv FrLLTNG MACHINE Max Knobel, Arlington,Mass., assigner to Wl A.

Sheaffer Pen Co., Fort Madison, Iowa, a corporation of DelawareApplication Januaryl, 1947,

`SerialNo. 722,455

4;4 Claims. (Cl. 226-63) This invention relates to an apparatus` forfill-` ing a container with avi'scous fluid without entrapment vof airbubbles therein. More particularly it has to do with the lfilling ofa'fl'exible sac with a'viscous Writing fluid, for example, a' sac andyfluid adaptable for use with a so--called ball'p'oint writinginstrument Ball-point pens now` available generally em'- ploy a writingtip in the form cfa sphere of ap# proximately one millimeter diametermounted for universal rotation in a socket having an ink passage-the'rethroughthe passage being in uid communication with an inkreservoir. For-use in a penof the ball-pointtype, a vviscousink,somewhat in the nature of printing inlg'is refquired, and in order toobtainruniform, uninterrupted ow of 'ink to-the ballQjit isl essentialthat no air bubbles be present the body of ink in the reservoir or thepassages intermediate the reservoir and that part of the socket Whereatthe ink adheres to the ball for transfer tothe Writing surface. Even aminute air bubble can interfere with the ink flow and cause a skip orf-aintness in the written line. s

One type of sac found preferable for use as a reservoir in a ball-pointpen may comprise soft rubber, nylon or other materials capable oflendinga flexible or fiaccid characteristic tothe s ac, whereby gradualreduction in the ink supply will permit collapse of the wall of the sacand assist in feeding of the ink therefrom. A sac of this type isgenerally mounted on a metallic or other nozzle part having means forsecurement into that portion of the 'pen in which the writing ball ismounted, and the nozzle part is provided with a small passage throughWhich the ink may issue. Due to the flaccid nature of the sac, it isimpracticable to attempt to iill the sac proper with' ink,

and then to mount the same on the nozzle part,

not only for the reason that an air space will be left in the nozzlepart, but because the handling of the filled sac as an entity isdifficult and messy. Heretofore the filling `operation has been by meansof an implement in the nature of a hypodermic needle which is diicult tohandle, and, due to the viscous nature of the fluid, extremely slow.Moreover, the inclusion of air bubbles is practically unavoidable. Eventhat method by which the open end of the filling conduit, e. g., ahypodermic needle, is first inserted to the bottom of the sac and thengradually withdrawn as the liquid level rises, fails to yield abubblefree supply. The theory of this latter operation is that the airis ejected by the rising liquid level. However, in order for this objectto be accomf.

plished without wastage of ink, the needle'should be'withdrawn -atexactly the same ratethat the sac is filled, otherwise the tacky inkadheringfto the needle is wasted, 'and the same must be wiped beforestarting to fill the succeeding sac. If the' needle is withdrawn toofastand the stream ofl ink falls through-air beforebeconng part of the bodyof ink in the partially 'filled sac, there is almost avcertainty'thatfsome air bubbles will be entrapped. It is almostimpossible to adjust the rate'of Withdrawal ofthe needle to exactlyequal the rate at which the sac is lled because not only is itimpossiblev to maintain' constant flow from the needle 'but the sacsvary consider-V ably in internal crossfse'ction.l The present inventioncontempl-ates, =as cer-'- tain of its principal objects; a method offilling the sac and the provision of an apparatus for accomplishing theoperations involved in a rapid, semi-automatic ymanner resulting'invl asubstantialy increase in lprod'u'ctiii over processes and lequipmentnowemployed. Such method vas herein to be described briefly comprises'acomplete evacuation of the sac' and the rigid nozzle part to'which thesac is secured; then the filling of the sac under pressure' and underconditions rendering the inclusionv of air bubbles practicallyimpossible', [andv then the suctioning of a predetermined small quantityofthe ink from the sac to prevent'.- overflow thereof' undercircumstances to be noted. For convenience in' what follows, theilexiblesac and' nozzle assembly will be referred to as thesac-section.v f Another object is lto'provide apparatus for"accomplishingithe several steps yaforesaid in a clean,economicalmanner'byutilizing a valve operable through several phases toperform the steps in required sequence',4 andbytheallocation to eachstep'v of ytime .sufficient tol insure efcient carrying out o f eachpartof the cycle.

Still anotherobject is the provision of appara-v tus as aforesaidincluding a supply of ink and means for feeding` the ink through thevalve and to thesac section under carefully controlledpresf sureconditions.

' `A further. object is to'p'rovide a sac-filling apparatus 'utilizinganovel form of holder `for the sac section wherebyloading of the sectionin operstitive relation to the apparatus is greatly facilia ed. Y `Anadditional object resides in providing apparatus for the purpose statedwhich "includes rapidly operable means for receiving the holder.aforesaidtomaintain the inlet of the sac section in iillinglositon*,fw.A i

Other objects will become apparent as the de scription proceeds.

In carrying out my invention in one form I provide a reservoir forstoring a substantial supply of ink and associated pressure means forinsuring and maintaining a predetermined out-- ilovv of ink from thereservoir to a valve. Such valve is preferably of the rotary piug type,and is provided with a connection to a source of vacuum for evacuationof air or withdrawal of ink from the sac. By providing passages of novelform in the valve and means for rotating the movable part of the valvethrough a cycle, the several steps of the process are expeditiouslyperformed in a clean and uniform manner. apparatus is motor-driven, andmanually controlled for each successive sac handled thereby.

In the drawings which show a preferred einn bodiment of the invention:

Fig. 1 shows a front elevational view of the apparatus;

Fig. 2 is a 'planvieim partly in section, of the `apparatus f Fig. l;

Fig. 3 is a detail view partially in cross section to show the reservoirand `means for applying pressure to the ink supply.;

Fig. 4 is a detail in yperspective of the rotary plug member of thevalve.;

Fig. 5 is a front .elevational detail of the valve with certain partssectioned;

Fig. 6 is a cross-.sectional view taken on the line G-G of Fig. 2;

Fig. 7 is a plan view in detail of the sac holder carriage;

Fig. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line 8 3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken on the lin 9-'9 Of Fig. 2;

Fig. 10 is a cross-sectional'view taken on the line ylll-'Ill of Fig. 2;and

Figs. 11a, 11b,-1lc, 11d, and l-le are diagrams representing thefunctions of the cycling valve.

By Way ofexemplication, that form Aof the apparatus ofthe invention ltobeherein described is adapted to charge `a sac sectionfof thekindillustrated in Fig. 10, the same comprising a sac Il] of flaccidmaterial such as latex or nylon which sac may be `of any cross section,secured to a metallic nozzle-like part Il by contraction of the sacabout a neck I-2 Aof the nozzle and banded by means (not shown) toinsure thorough engagement. Nozzle il has an axialaperture I3therethrough for passage of the ink fromthe sac to the tip of the penand is moreover chamfered at I4 for intermating with other part-s of thepen not pertinent here, but which lpermits suitable loading of the Vsacsection with respect vto the ink outlet lof the lling apparatus.

Due to the iiexible or iiaccid construction of the sac lli, I have foundit preferable to carry the sac section in a holder I6 (Figs. 2 and 10)comprising an open-ended tubular body IT slit at one end at severalspaced apart vpoints I8 about its circumference, the metal therebetweenthus being rendered easily bendable to form a plurality of clamping`fingers l'9 adapted to grip the nozzle Il, a shoulder22 thereofabutting the ends of the fingers to fix the axial location of the sacsection relatively to the vholder i6. To provide or to release clampingpressure of the fingers I9, a sleeve 23 having a knurled periphery isarranged for sliding vmovement on the body Il. It is desirable to beable to View the sac as it is being lled, and for that purpose anelongated opening 24 is provided in the 'holcler I6.

The l Now referring to Figs. l and 2, the apparatus comprises a base 3lhaving platforms 32 and 33 defining a depressed base portion 3d. Tosecure the machine to its support, a plurality of apertures may beprovided, the latter being in flanges 36 and 3T forming extensions ofthe base 3|. Supported by posts 35 (Fig. 3) on platform 32 isa reservoir4| having a 'screwed filling cap 4-2 into Which'a nipple l5 is secured,a T being then connected thereto. Into one outlet 0i T fit a `needlevalve is tapped, the other side ci the valve being in communicationwith. a source of air pressure, and into the other outlet of the T, atube 46 `is connected, the opposite end of the tube extending downwardlyinto a vessel el, e. a test tube.

Vessel 41 .is partially filled with a heavy iiuid, preferably mercury,indicated at 5 l, and serves as a `pressure regulator. The lower openend of tube 415 lies beneath the level of the mercury whereby air inreservoir "di Iand tube 4% is therefore restrained 'from escapingthrough the end or" the tube by the-presence of the mercury. It will beapparent, however, that if the air pressure inthe reservoir exceeds acertain value the air Will force the mercury `out Of the lower end oftube il and will bubble vup through the lmercury and escape. This willrelieve the air pressure in .the reservoir and maintain it at a definitevalue. Acasing 52 havinga base 53 supports the vessel 41 yand thevesseland casing assembly is rendered vertically adjustable by providinga threaded stud 5d carried in an aperture 55 in the platform 3-2. Locknuts 56-56 are provided for obvious reasons. To provide fluidcommunication between the reservoir-lll .and the valve shortly -to bedescribed ,there is provided an elbow 5l and coupling 5B.

In Aaccordance with the invention, the sac first yevacuated, then lled,and subsequently a small portioncf `the contents suctioned oli.Desirably, i perform these functions in a tim sequential manner by meansci a vali e. Turning to Figs. 2, fi, 5 and e, the valve bloei; or casingySi isinountedon the platform 52 by screws (not shown) ytaking intoaperture* and includes an inl; inlet port tt rev ing the coupling titi.lSubstantially at the lon .idinal midaxis the `block ti! is positioned arotary valve member or plug t5, the saine being preferably offrusto-conical form to insure a constant snug fit `into the matingaperture tt. Plug (iii is pro vided with an extension for connectionwith driving mechanism to bedescribed, the aperture t6 is rmade slightlylonger than the corresponding `tapered part of the plug S5 to permitaxial adjustment of the latter to accommodate wear.

Valve plug best seen in 4, include-s a plurality of channels or passagesas follows: ll, 'traversing the entire periphery and in alignmentaxially with port d3; extending, in this einbodiment, over 231 of theperiphery and. in alignment with the ing outlet `port il, and providedwith three axially extending branches "M and 'i5 lall in communicationwith channel li; lli extending axially from the inner end of the plug tothe -inkoutlet port Ti; and 'J3 also extending axially from the innerend of the plug end terminating beyond the port il.

'Coaxially in alignment with the plug t5 is a suction aperture 182 4towhich is tted a coupling 8'3 in turn receiving -a pair of separatingvessels 234-484, a vacuum pump S5 being connected to nozzle a.

clamped'sac section there is provided a carriage 88 in the form ofanelongated'parallelepiped slidably supported on a 4block l89 secured tothe platform 32 (Figs. 2, 7 and 10). Carriage 88 is disposed with adiagonal of an end face in a horizontal plane and gibs 9 |-9I bearing onthe sloped upper sides ofthe carriagey 88 retain-the latter in slidingrelation withv'the block 89; the sloped lower sides 92-92slidablyengagingcorrspondingly shaped portions of the block 89.Projecting upwardly vfrom the carriage 88 is a pair of integralsaddles93 and 94 each having asubstantially semi-cylindrical channel at the topthereof, the channels associated with thel saddles" 93 and v94 havingradii corresponding VAto the body I1 and sleeve 23 respectively ofthesac section hold- 'er I5. Accordingly when the holder vis positioned'operatively with respect to the port 11 in a manner to bedescribed,-the saddles 93 and 94 provide lateral guiding, andthefrontfacefof the saddle A93,beingfirrabutment withvthe sleeve'- 23,may force the nozzle into tight yeng-agementwith the port whilesimultaneously'assistingV in maintainingthe grip-ofthe sleeve 23on'thefngers I9; The holder |6,rcarriagef88 and block 89 may be said toconstitute a jig for supporting the sac section in operative relationwith the apparatus. Irlorder to maintainthecarriage-88YV rearwardly inFig.A 2,-orto the right vvin Fig. 10,thereis provided acompression*springr 91v supported ona pilot" screw 98 entering -anaperture- 99 in Ithe carriage, the screw 'being' threadedly v"engaged inaplate 9| secured tothe front face of the block 89.' Forward retractionof the carriage is effected bya handle |94 pivoted on a shoulderscrew|95 mounted on the platform 3L-the inner endl of the handle beingcircular in outline and engaged in a slot |66 inthe carriage, the handleclearing the block 89 through aslot |91.r "I'o provide 'a-snug,leakproof connection lbetween the port 11 and nozzll'efll,y there is(Figs.

zand 5) a washer l ljl{oflyieiuabiematerial,e. g.,

neoprene' a forni of synthetic rubber, supported by-a'ihetal washer' I2v'screwed to-i' l1e.'fro'r'1ty face of the valve block l'lth'e-r hole of-thewasher YI being of usuch size as 'to`rece'ive" the cl'iamferetl endI4 ofthe nozzle VI vina wedged fit/the spring 491 v'affordingthereo'uisit'epressur to that end. For use in ball-pointwritinginstruments of the kindherein'referredl to, a lpaste-like ink isypreferred.''ABeing viscoushit may more accurately @Onilelled'rid111101:@ 'easily Passedfthlugh the various conduits, andparticularlywthevalve of the apparatus, if renderedmore fluid fAccordingly, I find itadvantageous to provide means to 4heat the valve and thusto render thelinkmore fluid thereaboutand therein. Such means preferablyconflprisesan elezkztricp heating element |5 -of 'any suitable type (Fig. 5)vinserted in a hole 'U6 in the valve body (5|y .and retained by a setrsfere-w In. an additionai aperture na, maybe provided .coaxially withthelroley IIB tol receive 4a prod for pushing the element |-54ffrorn its4receptacle when removal isdesired. j 'To indicate 'the operatingterriperatiireA of the valve, the bulb of a conventional thermometer I9illig. 1) Amay be inserted in anaperturek 2I (Figs. 5 and 6) in4 thevalve bodyy |6|. Moreoviy means of :a `suitable rheostat, thetemperature ofjifilliey element 5 may be varied ,to'uobtain optimumvisfcosity of the ink.l Athermostat (not shown)v of 'Q any usualrtypemay .be vconnected 'invthe circuit .inludng .the elementi@ toVregulatefl'fhe-iiem- A convenientlyplaced lamp Rperature :'thereof.

|23 (Fig. v l) may be provided to indicate in a conventional mannerwhether or not the element is receiving current. The maincurrent-interrupting switch is shown at |25, and a lamp |26 may beincluded to show whether the switch |25 is on or off.

f' Valve rotor 65 is arranged to turn 4through one revolution to performthe cycle involved in filling one' sac,"andis therefore arranged to berotated through a f uni-revolutional clutch and motor drive. Referringto Figs. l, 2, 8 and 9, an electric inotor (not'shown) is connectedthrough a belt |26 and-pulley |21 to the shaft |28 supported on bearingsIZB-|29 secured to the platform 33. A pinion |32-`afixed to shaft |28drives a gear |33 keyed'vto 'thestub shaft |34 supported in a bearing|35 carried on posts |36, the latter resting on the flanges of theunderneath bearing |29, and screws |31 being employed to fasten both the.upper and lower bearings tothe platform 33. A' stop collar |4I,together with the hub of gear |33, retains the shaft |34 axially, thelatter being enlargedY at its inner end and apertured to form a cup|42-1n`which the stem 61 of the valve rotor 65-y is freelyl rotatable. vArranged for rotation relatively to-the'shaft |34 is a disc |43 having anotchl|44 in `itsperiphery and a rigid pin |45 extending axiallytherefrom and adjacent the periphery of the cup |42. Juxtaposed againstthe right end face of the valve block 6| is a collar |46 afxed by a setscrew to the stem 61. A rigid pin '|41 projects from the outer face 'ofthe collar |46 in radial `alignment; with pin |45, the ends' of the twopins being overlapped as seen best in Fig.l9. A coiled-torsion-spring|49 closely surrounds the portion |42 and each looped end thereof isretained-aboutpins |45 'and`I41.' Adapted to cooperate with the disc |43is a trip lever |52 including-aforward thumby piece' |53 and an integraldog |54 Ahaving a sloped tip for `engagement with the notch |44.v Lever|52 is pivoted on afpost |55 affixed to the base portion 34 and isguidedin a slot |55 ina `second post |51. yA compression spring |56seated'in the post v|51 urges the lever |52 upwardly to maintain the dog54 normally into'llocking engagement with the notchl44.

' Operation vofthe apparatus is as follows: The reservoir '4| iscompletely or partially lled with a`'s`upply of'ink through the open endnormally 'closed by the v,screw cap 42. By means ofthe valve 45,compressed air from any suitable source is' supplied to the Vreservoir 4l. If desired, a regulator may be installed in the compressed air linefor'rnaintaining the pressure at a predetermined value, and" the flowmay be further throttle'd through the needle valve. Only a few ounces ofair pressure has been found sufficient to provide they-small additionalpressure in excess of the head of inkin the reservoir necessary to main-'tainflowgofrthe ink-to and through the cycling valve-Jr ATherate'atwhlch the air is bled through thegrneelle valve is very slightand the pressure onthe surface of the ink in the reservoir is, there-Aforegveryu closely equal to the pressure corresponding'to a columnofmercury equal to the distance fronrthe lower open end of the tube 46Vinfimersedin the mercury 5| to the top surface of the mercury. That isto say, the space Vabove the ink is virtually a dead space, because therate at'which the inl: leaves the reservoir is negligible. The pressureon the ink is determined essentially bythe columnof mercury describedand does not dependtoany substantial extenton the incom- 'ingairpressure. It willbe understood that the 7 regulator ahead of the needlevalve just referred to may be, for example, of the conventional.diaphragm type having requisite sensitivity fat low pressures andthe.additional means including the column of lmercury dispensed with.

Ink enters the cycling valve body 6.! through port .$3 and -iills therecess 1| Wherefrom it is channeled through paths new to be described.At stopped position of `the vuni-revolutional clutch, the parts are asshown yin Fig. .2. 'An empty sac section is :loaded into the holder y|55in the manner heretofore detailed (Fig. l), andthe charged holderdeposited on the carriage B8 in the position indicated At the time ofloading, the handle iM has been manually operated to slide thecarriageforwardly in Fig. 2, or to the left in Fig; l), against thevbias `of the spring y91 so that after loading the holder on lthecarriage and releasing the handle, the nozzle is moved against thewasher |I and there firmly held by the spring 9.1. f

Following the operation aforesaid, the thumb piece |53 is Vdepri-:seedand dog .|54 Athus withdrawn from engagement with the notch IM. Spring|49 is of such dimensions that its normally/coiled state will cause itto grip the portion M2. Thus when-disc |43 is locked against rotation bydog :|54 the spring isuncoiled slightly and slippage may occur betweenthe same and cup H2.. However, when the dog |54 is released from thedisc |43., the spring may resume its smaller .diameter to grip the cup|42. Consequently the cup and .spring may rotate together and the collarM5, to which the inner end of the spring is secured, may, together lwiththe rotor .I

B5, also rotate. I-nasmuoh as lever |52 is released immediately.following tripping of the clutch, the dog |54 is .free to enter thenotch |44 under urging of spring S, andupon said notch rotating to the.locked position one revolution of the clutch has been completed and thevalve rotor is in stopped position as shown. Pins and |41 are inoverlapped relation, as stated, and insure proper angular positioningrbetween disc |43 and rotor v|55.

AThe various functional phases of rotor t5 are brought out in Figs. llathrough lle, the several pertinent parts of the valve there :shownbearing the same reference characters as in Figs. 2 and 4.

In stopped position, the rotor and valve block are as `shown in Fig. llaand none of the passages ofthe rotor is in communicationwith outlet port11. Upon rotation of the rotor passage 18 (Fig. 1lb) is brought intoregister with port 11 and communication provided from sac vl0, throughport 11, channel 13., port 82, and separators 84 to vacuum pump S5 andthe air in the sac is exhausted.

Continued rotation of the rotor carries the beginning of channel y12into register with port 11 and communication is provided between theexhausted sac and recess 1| containing ink, and the sac begins to fill.During further rotation corresponding to the peripheral length ofchannel 12 the latter continues in register with port 11 until the sacis completely filled. It will be noted that passage 12 receives .inkfrom recess 1| through three cross passages 13, 14 and 15in order toinsure adequate ink flow all during that portion of the cycle.

The practically complete evacuation of the sac section before llingmakes it possible to ll the section substantially completely by firstiilling the open end ofthe section and finally filling the closed end,the direct reverseI of the needle method heretoforev alluded to. Forallpractical purposes the evacuation .of the sac is complete, but shouldthe machine not function ideally, then any small amount of air .stillpresent is at very low pressure, and this will all be forced ahead ofthe incoming ink and become evident as a tiny air bubble at the closedend of the sac, and at a place farthest from the writing point. Suchsmall air bubbles in this position have never caused any diculty.

Further rotation of the rotor cuts off the supply of ink to the .sac andcarries channel 16 into register with port 11 to connect the sac .oncemore to vacuum and a portion of the ink is therefore sucked from thesac. y

Since the ink is forced into the sac under slight pressure there is atendency, with sacs of certain materials, e. g., rubber, for the sac tobecome slightly distended beyond its normal dimensions, and accordinglythe withdrawal of a small amount of ink after complete filling is adesirable step. On the other hand a sac of nylon, i. e.,polyexamethylene adiparnide, being substantially non-distensible, wouldnot fall in the aforesaid classification and a successful operationcould be accomplished Without the nal suction ing step.

If the sac were stretched `before or during the screwing of the sacsection into the writing tip, the sac section being open and the inkbeing under pressure, a certain amount vof ink would fiow out, making amessy operation. Furthermore, if under the foregoing conditions the sacsection were placed in its protective casing and a usual form of springand pressure bar inserted between the casing and sac, the bias of thisspring added to the distended sac would cause too heavy an ink ilow andWeeping from the writing point when the pen is not in use. Accordinglythe Withdrawal of a slight amount -of ink from the filled sac, is, undermost circumstances, to be preferred.

Since final suctioning of part of the ink from the sac carries the inkinto the vacuum line, the separators Sli-44%, comprising simple vesselsopen to the line, are provided to receive the ink caught in the line andprevent the same from being carried back to the vacuum pump 85. Thisfinal suctioning action serves another important purpose by drawing awayfrom the port l1 some of the inl: therein, thereby avoiding dripping andconsequent waste of ink. To catch any drippings from the port 11, Iprovide thereunder a container l5@ (Fig. 2), the valve block el beingrecessed at 60 on its front face (Fig. 6) to receive `one side of thecontainer and to insure that any drippings reach the interior of thecontainer.

The time found best for one .cycle of operation and for filling a sachaving an internal diameter of 0.195 and internal length of 2.375 isfive seconds, this period being subdivided as indicated in ila, whereinthe preferred angular spacing of the air exhausting channel 13, thefilling channel 12 and the ink suctoning channel 1.6 is as shown.

For storing a supply .of loaded or unloaded extra holders I6, aplurality of apertures |619 (Fi-g. 2) may be provided in the platform33, and the same used in an obvious manner.

When filling a sac by a needle, the operation is necessarily slow sinceat high `velocity the thin Wall of the sac might be ruptured, and airpresent in the sac might be aspirated into the stream of ink filling it.In contrast, the lling operation as performed by my .apparatus is.substantially accelerated, and Without the dangers inherent vin theneedle method.

While Iv have shown particular embodiments of my invention, it Will beunderstood, of course, that I do not wish to be limited thereto sincemany modifications may be made, and I therefore contemplate by theappended claims to cover l -rotary valve, conduits interconnecting eachof said sources with said valve, said valve having a port to which thecontainer is adapted to be connected, and power-driven means forrotating said valve to interconnect said sources singly and in apredetermined sequence to said port, said power-driven means including auni-revolutional clutch for actuating said valve from rest through onerevolution;

2. Apparatus for filling a container with a viscous i'luid comprising incombination a valve including a rotary member, said valve having a iluidinlet, a fluid .outlet and a vacuum connection, a source of supply offluid in communication with said inlet, a vacuum pump in communicationwith said vacuum connection, said rotary member having a plurality ofchannels so constructed and arranged that upon rotation of said membersaid fluid outlet is successively placed in fluid communication Withsaid pump a rst time, said fluid source and said pump a second time inthe order recited for one cycle of operation of the apparatus, a sourceof power for rotating said valve member, a uni-revolutional clutchintermediate said source of power and member for rotating said memberthrough one cycle, and manual means for releasing said clutch forperformance of a cycle of operation.

3. Apparatus for lling :a container with a fluid comprising incombination a valve having a fluid inlet and a lluid outlet, `areservoir for holding a supply of luid, and a conduit between saidreservoir and inlet, and means for maintaining slightly superatmosphericpressure on the body of fluid in the reservoir for insuring positive newof fluid from said reservoir to and through said valve, said meansincluding a vessel containing a liquid of relatively heavy density and atube having one open end thereof immersed in said liquid and the otherend in communication with the space in the reservoir above the level ofthe fluid therein.

4. Apparatus for filling a container with a viscous fluid comprising incombination a valve having a fluid inlet and a fluid outlet, a reservoirfor holding a supply of fluid and a conduit between said reservoir andinlet, and means for maintaining slightly superatmospheric pressure onthe body of fluid in the reservoir for insuring positive lloW of fluidfrom said reservoir to said valve, said means including a vesselcontaining liquid of relatively heavy density, a tube having one openend thereof immersed in said liquid and the other end in communicationwith the space in the reservoir above the level of fluid therein, saidvessel being shiftable with respect to the open end of the tube thereinto vary the effective head of liquid above said open end.

MAX IQNOBEL.

References Cited in the ille of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Wilsonet al Mar. 2, 1948

